An inspirational bodybuilder who beat testicular and prostate cancer has won a Mr Ireland competition.

Loughlin Gannon, 31, only entered the National Amateur Bodybuilder’s Association (NABBA) Mr Ireland competition at the last minute after his girlfriend, Nicola Meadows encouraged him to.

Having competed in the Mr World competition in early Autumn, Mr Gannon only had a few weeks to prepare for the hotly-contested competition.

The son of Loughlin and Mary Gannon, Loughlin Jnr from Foulksmills, Co Wexford has come fifth in a few Mr World competitions and placed second in the Mr Ireland competition before.

An overjoyed Loughlin said: "I entered it multiple times so there’s a validation in winning it. I did an enormous amount of training as I started preparing in February.

"My girlfriend said I deserved to win it so I entered the competition and won the overall Mr Ireland prize.

"I’ve come a long way. I was ten stone when I was ill and I’m over 20 stone now with only 6 per cent body fat."

Loughlin trains at White’s Hotel gym in Wexford where he has been building up his muscle all year.

"The competitions are pure bodybuilding. You build as much muscle mass as possible and then it’s about dieting down while maintaining all your muscle and creating a very extreme look."

Describing the final week before a competition as a nightmare, Loughlin said he suffered from dehydration, sleeplessness, incredible hunger and periods of being in an extreme emotional state.

He explained: "You’re under so much stress in that period. Luckily I eat clean all year round; no fast food and I don’t drink or smoke. I literally just eat, sleep and train."

Having won the Mr Ireland title Loughlin now has his sights on the Mr World and the Mr Universe competition titles.

Loughlin added: "When I win something I appreciate it but all I want to do is to look forward to the next competition and to win that, be it Mr World or Mr Universe. Winning makes me hungrier for success."